Inspired

It has been a long while since I have written in this blog....I got busy with life, what can I say....but some things have happened lately that have inspired me to write again...so keep an eye out, you should see more posts from me over the next few weeks! Here is a teaser of whats to come...are you drooling yet?

A Night Out at the Theater

I know I havent posted in here in a bit....as usual...life gets busy :) Today, instead of sharing a recipe, I thought I would share something else that has been consuming my life these past 2 weeks. In addition to this blog, and the Brunch blog (which has been defunt for a little while) I also write for DC Metro Theater Arts (DCMTA). DCMTA is a theater review website with thousands of hits a month. Its been a blast reviewing shows for this site!

In the last week or so, I have been to 3 live theater shows. Check out the review and then go see one of these shows!

Miracle on 34th Street at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn (Kentlands) is a re-imagined version of the holiday classic. Its a fun, family friendly show. 

http://www.dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2012/12/01/miracle-on-34th-street-at-the-montgomery-playhouse-by-anne-tsang/

Santaland Diaries is a hilarious 2-man show of David Sedaris's mis-adventures as an elf in the Macy's Santaland. Joe Brack and Danny Cackley are a dynamic duo. Joe Brack also starred in the one man My Princess Bride show this summer and is fantastic. If you want a good laugh....this is DEFINITELY the show to go see! 

http://www.dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2012/12/02/the-santaland-diaries-by-anne-tsang/

Young Robin Hood at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda is a spin on the classic Robin Hood. The show is not only creative and funny, but it is so visually engaging. Another fun, fantastic show! 

http://www.dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2012/12/04/young-robin-hood-at-round-house-theatre-by-anne-tsang/

So....go check out these shows if you're in the area! 

Crack....aka Salted Caramels

Well...its that time of year when we all eat sooo much, I am starting to see cookies, candies, chocolates, cakes, pies, cupcakes....Its just that time of year....so I thought I would get into the spirit...I was making some caramel apples as a test for an event I am catering next month and when I was finished with the test...I had a pot full of caramel left....and I was trying to figure out...what I would do with it....and I decided...Well, I'll pour it out into a pan and sprinkle some sea salt on it and turn it into chewy salted caramel candies...and thats exactly what I did.

They were a BIG hit in the office. So you can give this a try and I promise EVERYONE will love it.
(BTW, the title is Crack because I actually don't like caramels....but if you put some salt in it...I apparently am ADDICTED to it :P)

Ingredients: 


1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp Sea salt (I use pink Himalayan sea salt…I think the actual fleur de sel might be even better)

Directions: 

1. In a saucepan combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, condensed milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
2. Cook and stir until the candy thermometer hits 244 (this is the temp for the chewy candies, but if you want it slightly harder, let it go to 248). 
3. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and 2 pinches of sea salt.
4. To make the candy, I covered a rimmed rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and then buttered up the foil (you have to make sure you do a really thorough job with this or the candy will be forever stuck to the foil lols)
5. Pour the caramel onto the baking sheet
6. Then before it set, I sprinkled it with the salt (ok…so I actually forgot to do it before it set, since this was a last minute addition to what I was making, but next time, I’d sprinkle the salt on top so that by the time it set, the salt would be more trapped in the caramel rather than just sitting right on top)….if you don’t like the caramel right on top, you can mix it in….for a batch this size, I would put in 1 tsp and a little to sprinkle on top
7. Let the caramel cool for about 4-5 hours. It will solidify in shape, but still be soft enough to cut
8. Peel it from the buttered foil.
9. Cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide, then cut into squares. (I used a pizza cutter to cut the pieces out)
10. Enjoy....they are pretty irresistible....you probably cant just have one :P 

Butternut Squash Turnovers

I was trying to figure out the other day what to do with that other 1/2 butternut squash and then I randomly got an email from one of the zillions of newsletter/email/feed things for this butternut squash turnovers....isn't it weird how these things show up just when you need them. I of course had to mess with the recipe, so my version included  roasted butternut squash and mushroom medley (mix of  shiitake, portobello, straw mushroom, and crimini) , and caramelized onions with parmesan cheese wrapped in puff pastry. Takes a little bit of time to make but really delicious! Give it a try and let me know how it turns out! 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1/2 pound of shiitake mushrooms (i used some mixed mushrooms, but the shiitakes should be fine)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2 in dice
2 sheets of puff pastry
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan (you wont need all of it)
salt and pepper to taste

 

(the turnovers just before closing)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Toss the butternut squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. and bake for about 25 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
2. In a skillet, heat the olive oil, add the onions and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then a add the mushrooms and cook until most of the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated (about 5 more minutes). Season with salt and pepper. 
3. When the butternut squash is ready, mix with the onions and mushrooms and set aside. 
4. Take the sheets of puff pastry and roll out a little on a floured surface. The original recipe said you could get 12 pieces but, i only got 9 pieces which i felt were a good size. I basically cut them lengthwise along the fold and then cut each strip into 3 pieces. 
5. Beat an egg.
6. Take a square of the puff pastry and lightly brush the edges with the beaten egg. Spoon about 1-2 teaspoon of the squash/mushroom mix onto the sheet. Add a generous pinch of parmesan on top. Fold the pastry over to form a triangle. Make sure the edges are sealed tight. Use a fork to decorate the edges (it really makes it looks prettier to do that so don't skip this step). Repeat until all of the pastries are done. 
7. Using the remaining egg, brush the tops of each pastry. This will help the pastries to brown. 
8. Bake in the 375F oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown. 

See, isnt it so pretty with the forked edges?

The tray of turnovers about to go in the oven.

Decadence

I love burrata....what is burrata you ask? Its a cheese...mozzarella on the outside with a mix of cream and mozzarella inside...its mozzarella only even better....but I never eat it at home....once in a while I might eat it at a restaurant, but eating at home just seems like too much decadence...but I was at Wegman's the other night and couldnt resist grabbing some.....

I was trying to decide what to do with it and I decided to eat it with some roasted beets....this turned out fantastic! Creamy burrata over the sweet roasted beets with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Ingredients:

1 or 2 beets (depending on size)
burrata
1 or 2 leaves of basil
olive oil
balsamic vinegar, chiffonade
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Roast the beets: wrap the beets whole/unpeeled with some salt and olive oil in aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes. The actual time will depend on the size of the beets. Check for doneness by poking a fork through it. Let the beets, cool and then you can just pull/peel off the skin. You can adjust the temp from 325-400 if you have something else in the oven along with the beets, just adjust the time as necessary. 
2. Dice up the beets
3. Place the burrata on top
4. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and basil
5. Cut open and allow the cream/mozzarella to flow out onto the beets
6. Enjoy!! 

What a Fail....

OK. I was only able to keep it going for 9 days...sighs...what a fail...but I was just too tired on Friday night after coming home from grocery shopping and then I was busy all of Saturday...and today...I spent the whole day at home....cleaning....and putting together the drawers to my bed that I have been meaning to do since August....so I got alot accomplished this weekend...

I have decided that I wont be too upset with myself...I mean...blogging should be fun...not a chore, not a burden....so I hope my friend Jen wont be too upset with me....I will keep trying to post every day, but I wont beat myself up for missing a day here or there :P (hmmm....how convenient....lols)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!! :)

Gettin' Saucy

OK. I just got home from a pumpkin beer and food tasting and I'm a little drunk and kind of tired....so this is going to be a short post. The pumpkin tasting was with the guys at DC's Smoke and Barrel (one of my fav BBQ places in DC)....who has this Chipotle Honey Butter sauce thing that I love...I could eat that over EVERYTHING....so this got me thinking about sauces I love...and I remembered I had those 2 sauces that I bought back from Peppers of Key West:  Blackberry Chipotle Sauce and a Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce.

When I first bought these suaces....I was putting them on everything....you should definately get a bottle of each and give it a try...

The Blackberry Chipotle is a little tart, just a little sweet, and that lovely smokey spiceness of Chipotle tha I love. As for the other one....Pineapple, Coconut, and Mango are my three favorite flavors....and its got Tequila in it...how could it go wrong lols?










What can you do with these sauces you ask...well lots. For the Blackberry Chipotle I used it as a marinage and a sauce to pour over pan roasted duck breast (picture below), roast pork, grilled steak, and chicken.

The Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila sauce....I cooked a little less with...but I did put it over chicken which was good but a little too sweet for me....What I found this was good in was baked brie (puff pastry wrapped around a round/hunk of triple cream brie, with the sauce poured over it, wrapped up and baked) ...OMG.....the sweetness of the sauce and the creamy fragrant brie was a match made in heaven.


Gotta go lay down now lols....and as always....stay consumed!!